Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-03-26
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readers, or a lsass Of those who sis Interested
In the ilfestoSy aud works Of the msu who
wss ouo Ol the most prominent and interest
Ing figures In American history for the lest
hsifa century, to an account Of him that y
thoroughly reliable and authentic, and q The
same time written In auch form ~ 10 b q
real piece oi literature, worthy Of pressrvs
t,ou, and OF place In ones library. I refer
to DR.. Lyman Abbo.rs "Hemry Ward
Beechsr A sketch OF His Career, with
Analysis Of His Power ~ . Preacher, Les.
tursr, Orator, and Journalist aud luoldsnts
snd "reminiscences Of his Life" II was nos
written In hurry aimee Nj. Beccber's death,
merely TO sell but wss very carefully and
conscientiously prepared, three or four ysars
ago, by one who was probably more inti.
mately acquainted with the great preacher,
and understood him more thoroughly within
aud without than any other man nov living.
Moreover, Dr. Abbott was materially aided
In the work by Nj. Beecher's venerable pas.
toral assistant the Rev. 3. d. Halliday, who
contributes directly some fhy pages Of
"Reminiscences" intensely Interesting, and
full OF stories, Jokes, and Incidents In the
varied personal career Of Mr.. Boechor.
TpE book was first publishsd In 1883 -
Commemorative Of his entrance upon bis
sevsntieih year." by the enterprising New
York firm Of Funk 4 wsgnalls, who have
made specially handsome volume Of It. In
the nov edition that is just ready, they have
added to the original edition full account OF
Mr.. Beechor's death, the funeral services
with Dr. Chas. Halls sermon, the last nor.
mon ever preached by Beecher himself, and
a variety OF other matter. Tho whole making
beautiful volume Of over ak hundred large
octave pages. containing numerous illustfa.
tons among them about twenty portraits Of
III
mood. sSa pc.on al is Il : iaS Soaua q IN n.ss SIsss
styles, 10 cloth at q 90 half morocco at Is 90;
and full morocco $1,000
ALrnouoH Dr.. Abbott wss lifelong In.
timate friend OF Mr.. Beecher, he 10 not tho
man TO bestow indiscriminats praise and
nothing but eulogy upon the subject Of his
work. That In what one will have 70 expect
In the quickly written Biographies prepared
for mercantile purposes alone, referred TO Q
moment sgo. DIR. Abbott 10 too conscientious
= Christian, too independent Q msn, and
Z sscholsr, to indulge In any such work.
3 1desd the chapters on "MI. Bsccher ~ Q
Il acher," on his Methods Of Study" his
z Snlogy, and his character - Journalist and
49, Sch studies Of the subject, arriving ut con.
oNssions which few oi Betchsi'a fair and hon.
at foes even would not be- willing TO accept
~ simple truth.
Nor the least valuable and interesting
part OF tho volume are the nearly two hun.
dred pages Of Analyses Of His Power, and
"Reminiscences by Contemporaries" all OF
them, except eight, written specially for this
work. They are careful judgments OF the
character, methods, work and 80 forth OF
Mr.. Beecher. by mon like DR.. Armitage,
Fred. Douglas, the Rev. Father Kee
gan, Vicar General. Rsbbi Lilienthal, d. D.,
J. q. Whittier. o. w. Holmes, Noah Porter,
DIR. StorrA and many more equally eminent
each one OF these studies him from differ
snt point OF view and emphasizes different
qualities. the whole making . remarkably
full and comprehensive study and estimate Of
tho great preacher
In Part Ill arc given some Of his "Charso.
lsristic Uttersnces," Of every kind, Theolog.
cal giving his statement OF belief; Spiritual:
telling how 10 become Christian Political
his farewell speech In London Descriptive,
Philosophical, Agricultural, and Humorous
Interesting, too, are some OF the posters pla-
carded in Liverpool, Manchester and other
cities OF England at the time OF his famous
visit there In 1868, and Intended by the enc
mics OF the United States to stir up the popu-
lace against him. They did, too, But hts
marvellous oratory counteracted ell that could
be done against him, and won over the brain
and heart OF England to himself and for the
Union.
IwouLp not, however, advise anybody to
rest content with reading tho extracts given
In this volume. Beechsr above oil others
was Q man who not only cannot be under
stood from reading only extracts OF his scr.
mons, or even whole single sermons, he 10
bound to be misunderstood IL estimated and
judged In such fragmentary way. And to
a great degree, l sm sure, this must DO true
OF every preacher who doesn't preach only
words, but thoughts, and indeed . moro or
less connected scheme Of thought To take
one sermon, or perhaps fragment oi scr
mon OF such man, and then pretend 70
Judge his whole theology and his whole
preaching from this, is about on par with
Tho way some people treat the Bible, cutting
up chapters, verses and even words, ana then
using these fragments ~ prooftexts In cate.
chisins or texts for sermons, or to prove o..
most anything at all like the old colored
preacher who preached against the then
prevalent fashion OF chignons, on tho 'text"
TOP not como down " Matthew xiv, ~.
or the ono who took - his text that part Of
Rev. xii, ], which reads And there sp.
peared great wonder In heaven woman" -!
BEFORE anyone can form anything like .
lair opinion of Mr.. Beecher - . theOloSian,
thinker, orator. Christian believer, he must
have read through at least one entire volume
OF his sermons onsecutively-and remember,
whatever you may think about other volumes
Of sermons, Beecher's are mover dry" they
rather read themselves" 20 varied, uuex.
pected, surprising, ireah and intensely inter.
esting they ara And II ! were asked which
OF his half dozen or moro volumes OF sor.
mons would recommend, should unhesi
tatiDgly say tho one, or rather two bound
into one, issued from the press OF Ford, How.
ard 4 Hubert, New York, under the title Of
Evolution and Religion"
THE reason Why recommend this volume
rather than some Of his othsrs u, first OF all,
because 1t In the latest Not that Il contains
all his latest sermons, for II doesn't but II Q
collection made up OF dlsoourses preachsd
between 1873 and 1885, containing among the
rest his famous and grand one ON 1.-THE
Background OF Mystery" preached In 1877.
But the great majority OF them are OF recent
composition, and, especially In their present
arrangement, represent MIR. Beecher's hual,
ripest thought Then, too, these twenty.
eight sermons form more Of . connected 70
rits, q complete and symmetrical whole,
than any OF his other volumes. At the same
time they display all those characteristics
which have made this preacher wOrld-famous
his wonderful freshness and originality o.
statement and illustration, his marvellous
ability OF looking upon every subject from
all sides, his great boldness OF thought ant
expression coupled with humblest devout
meas, clear common sense, large human syln
psihy, all afisme with the warm glow OF hi
s,,atCs.lona Al No OfhAr vOluuno OOu